Support
by secondbutthole
Summary: Everything is going fine for Lucas and Claus, up until their mother is brutally killed by what was once thought to be a gentle, peaceful creature. They team up to bring it down but it all goes horribly wrong. Welcome to the world, Commander Red and Commander Yellow.
1. Prologue

I don't own Mother 3. What I do, technically own however, is the AU. Please don't hesitate to tell me what you think and if you're interested.

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It was their eleventh birthday when news came that Hinawa had died. It had been a normal day; wake up, have breakfast, play with Fuel until noon, and then go off to Alec's house. They were even allowed to stay up an hour past their bed time- something that the ever so energetic Claus was happy about. They played with the Dragos as well as had some omelettes for dinner! All in all, it was a great day.

The sweet day quickly turned sour as night fell.

Declining the invitation from Alec, Hinawa had grabbed both her children's hands and lead them deep into the forest; it was just south from where they were now- most things like the Yammonsters and the Mr Battys were easily taken care of. It wasn't like the gentle mother was a stranger to the dangers and could, in fact, kick ass when she needed to. It was even better with Claus and Lucas helped out with sticks they found lying on the floor and they would clear the forest floor before it got too late.

It happened so... suddenly. Before the family could even realise what was happening, the trees were set alight and Claus SWORE he saw a hint of a circle before it exploded.

As soon as the fires started and began to spread through the Sunshine Forest, a familiar sound pierced through the now-burning trees. The screech of a Drago but it sounded different. In a way that made Lucas squirm, Claus tense up, and Hinawa thrust her arms out in front of the boys in protection.

"Run." It was a simple word that Hinawa had hissed at her boys, stepping back as, slowly, the Earth beneath their feet began to shake and the growls were steadily getting louder. Neither Claus nor Lucas, despite their increasing panic, made a move to run.

"Boys. Run."

"But- mom-"

The drago was in full view, now, organic and chimeraised eye focusing on them. The optic flashed a lighter red and it's body turned towards them, teeth bared. Lucas clung to Claus' hand, watching Hinawa's unmoving and tense frame. Time seemed to slow down. Each second felt like an eternity.

"Lucas, Claus, listen to me! I don't care that you want to stay!" The twins never heard their mother speak in that tone of voice; firm, upset. She sounded like she had no idea what to do which confused them. She was the smartest woman they knew. She always knew what to do. "Just go!"

One roar from the Drago and they were off, Claus gripping his clumsier, more gentle brother's hand in an attempt to not lose him. It started pouring down, but Lucas wasn't sure when it started. The ground was increasingly getting more and more muddy and they could barely see where they were going. Behind them, some ways away, they could hear something that made them stop in their tracks.

A scream. A feminine scream. A drago's screech. And then silence. A whole lot of silence. Nothing was said between the two boys as they let what happened sink in. The rain continued to pour against the ground, the beast's steps echoing from where they had just came from until they heard it no more. It was unbelievable. The dragos were normally such kind creatures.

They didn't move. It was just... quiet.

"Claus...?"

"What is it, Lucas.." Claus answered gently, not realising that he had dropped his brothers hand through everything that had happened in the past minute. His voice was never this quiet. His eyes were never this sad. Hell, he always had a grin on his face but things... things were different.

"M-mom is okay, isn't she? She screamed to startle that-that drago, right..?" Claus didn't answer. The thought, while nice, didn't seem likely. It was obvious that Lucas knew that was the case as well but it was just something for the boys to cling on to. A sense of comfort for what they refused to believe was true.

It was later confirmed that Hinawa died once they were found washed up in a river.

The idea came naturally to the more hastier of tha pair. Lucas, who was lying on the bed and had been deep in grief, had given Claus a slightly uneasy look that he had returned with an almost desperate grin. "Lucas! That thing killed our mom! Don't you think she'd want us to avenge her death?!" The redhead felt like he had struck gold.

"No- no, I don't think-"

The grin on his twin's face faltered as he sat down beside Lucas. "I'm not doing this alone, Luc."

The blond squirmed in his seat, refusing to meet the others gaze. "Claus, we're not strong enough to kill it! If-if mom couldn't, what makes you think that two little kids will?"

That shut Claus up. Lying down next to Lucas, he began to think of a strategy to help them. Lucas didn't exactly say that he'd go but he'd get dragged along anyway; two heads are much better than one. Besides, Lucas wouldn't let him go alone! No matter what was going to happen, they'd stick together. What one did, the other did too.

Then it struck him. Claus sat up on the bed so suddenly that it made Lucas jump. The grin from before appeared on his face only it had lost the desperate edge and picked up a confident one instead. Lucas stared at him strangely, starting to feel a little fearful. He knew what that look meant; a new idea that was perfect to the redhead had been formed.

The plans that the other thought of were never perfect. It often landed the three of them (Fuel was somehow always involved) in trouble with their parents and Bronson if he was in Sherrif mode. But this was a little different and the apprehension he felt seemed to worsen. They weren't going to get in trouble with their parents or Bronson. If this plan failed... they could lose their lives.

"Luc! We'll be fine as long as we bring sticks and dad's hunting knife, right?"

Lucas opened his mouth to protest against the idea but Claus beat him too it.

"We'll get dad out of the jail first and then we gotta go fast we got to find that Drago and show that is messed with the wrong family!" Claus was starting to get more and more pumped up. Lucas, however, was feeling increasingly anxious. "Come on, we need to go."

Unwillingly, Lucas stood up and away from the bed, packing a few things that they'll probably need while Claus was busy - bits and bobs like food and bottled drinks and a few psuedo weapons.

Claus was a planner. A master schemer, if you will. He was the trouble-maker and everyone knew it. So he grabbed a knife and set it on the counter before finding an apple and something that would surely break the lock. Perfect.

"Lucas!"

"Coming!"

It didn't take too long for them to get into the square- five minutes at best. It took an extra three to get to where the sherriff's building. It took a few seconds to give Flint the apple and a few seconds more for their father to realise what they were trying to do.

Break him out.

Claus' genius idea, of course. "Make sure you eat the apple!" The redhead said for the umpteenth time, and Lucas shook his head in slight exasperation. It wasn't like Claus was being obvious at all!

The exasperated mood Lucas held left as quickly as it came as Claus began to tear up. "Don't worry, dad." His bottom lip quivered and he rubbed his eyes- because he was strong. He wasn't Lucas. No offense to his younger brother, that is. "We'll get that drago back, won't we, Lucas?"

"Yeah.."He didn't sound too convinced and it wasn't long for the blond to tear up himself.

Flint was as silent as ever, words he wanted to say were left unsaid. All he could do was walk up to the bars that made the cell and reach out towards his boys. All the words got caught up in his throat. Including the most important one of all.

"Don't."

But even if the word was said, it was far too late. They had left with the door wide open. Rubbing the apple against his sleeveless jacket, he bit into - determined to get to the object inside. It was a race against time and he already had a feeling he was going to lose.

It took hours for them to get to the area where the plateau was. They were bloody, beaten, annd exhausted but it seemed almost insane to turn back now. Their food and water: gone. The sun was starting to set, covering the sky in hues of oranges and reds and purple and they both wanted to go home. They both wanted Hinawa.

"C-Claus.. I can't go on.." The younger twin panted, trying not to tremble as winds began to pick up.

"Lucas- we're nearly th-there. There's a hot spring somewhere we can just.."

Claus trailed off as his eyes gazed at the pink shell that was surrounded by a pond of water and stepping stones. Lucas, confused, looked at where Claus was looking. That wasn't real. They were hallucinating. But he felt his hasty twin's hand grab his own and he was pulled off towards the door.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Don't worry, darlings! Let me get that!" A voice, muffled from- was that jazz music?- and the door called out.

The door swung open, revealing a strange man.. woman...? If he wasn't so sad, Claus would probably laugh at the person who looked like a clown. He would have laughed even harder to see that there were six others wearing sort of the same get up. All he could do was snort and even that didn't sound convincing.

"Oh! Children! Twins no less!" The strange person cooed, hands cupping their own cheeks. "Please! Please, come in." And, just like that, Lucas and Claus found themselves inside of the sea-shell that looked roomy and...

Oh.

"Everyone!" One of the six clown people yelled, their hand waving in the air to catch everyone's attention. All five pairs of eyes turned towards the two twins and... the one who shouted. "Meet..." The bulkier person shoved them forward a little gently, smiling encouragingly at them.

Standing a little awkwardly in front of the room, both Lucas and Claus shuffled their feet along the floor. If asked, they would deny that they were blushing. "Well I'm Lucas and-and.. my twin is called Claus."

"Doria."

"Ionia."

"Mixolydia-" One of them giggled before flashing them a smile (which Claus was wondering if it was flirty. He didn't ask). "But you can call me Missy if you like."

"Phrygia."

"Lydia."

"Aeolia." The final magypsy said, twisting around a little on their throne. "It truly is a pleasure to meet you. Oh- how wonderful it is to have guests!"

Lucas scuffled behind Claus a little as the surrounding people broke out into delighted chatters. "Well, Clausy-poo, Lukey-poo, come here."

The pair of twins did as told, moving over to the chair before Aeolia looked at Phrygia. Aeolia's jaw clenched slightly and suddenly, both Lucas and Claus fell to the floor, completely knocked out. Almost instantly, the wooden plank Phrygia had used clattered against the ground next to them.

"T-too hard?" Phrygia giggled a little bashfully, scratching at their cheek. But they quickly got serious, looking at the twins. "Do you really...?"

"Only time will tell." Lydia spoke up before holding up a tea pot. "Chamomile tea, anyone?"

When they finally came to- Lucas waking just three minutes before his more energetic brother- they sat up on their knees and, while, holding their head, looked up at Aeolia. They were dazed, confused, and they felt... strange. Heavier.

"Tell me," Aeolia began, voice soft and kind. "What comes to mind when I say the word PSI?"

"Love." They said at the same time but broke off into different names. As it turned out, Claus had more offensive PSI whereas Lucas was more of an assist user. Two halves of a whole. Some of the magypsies found it cute but they all had one thing in mind.

The time was approaching.

Snapping out of it, Claus grabbed his brothers hand and dragged the still-dazed blond towards the exit of the pink shell. "Sorry but we have to get going." He said through bared teeth, trying to ignore the terrible ache in his head.

"Wait-"

They were gone. The door slammed shut behind the pair and off they went into the cave just across from the shell; the entrance of the plateau. Or, at least the other entrance that wasn't near Alec's house but it was an entrance all the same. Claus grabbed the knife from in their back, handing Lucas his own.

"Are you sure we're ready for this...?" A roar sounded from the cavern. Claus was quiet for a brief moment but the answer came easily to him.

Another roar.

"Yes."

It didn't take long for them to find the drago. It was easy to spot; it was mostly mechanical and... How long had it been since Hinawa had faced that beast? Two days? Because she barely laid a scratch on him. "Claus, this is a bad idea."

The redhead ignored him, taking a stance and glaring up at the excuse-for-a-drago. The thing edged closer. One stomp. Two stomps. Three- and its eye lost its red colour, opting for a more faded hue as a rock hit the optic. It didn't shatter nor did it crack. And, just like that, it turned and screeched.

Claus took that as a cue to lunge for the 'peaceful' creature, jabbing the knife into its foot but to no avail. It didn't even break through. "L-Lucas!" He tried again, heart jumping to his throat as he realised that it wasn't working. This was a terrible idea. Lucas told him. Getting frustrated, he picked at a branch and began whacking it at the drago's leg in frustration.

Another screech before it turned again, tail knocking off Lucas who could only grip to the edge of the cliff, desperately caling Claus' name. The knife he had held tightly fell to the ground a long drop below. He could only dangle. Claus had made a dash for it then, dropping the knife to the floor in an attempt to distract the mechanical beast before he ran over to Lucas. "Grab my hand!"

"C-Claus- I can't-"

"Grab on to my hand, Lucas!"

Stomp.

One of Lucas' fingers curled into the rockface, his other hand reaching up towards Claus- panic evident in his eyes. The redhead grabbed onto it, squeezing it in an attempt to reasure Lucas before trying to pull him up.

Stomp.

"Work with me here, we can do this.." He strained, grunting a little, using both his hands to grab onto Lucas now.

Stomp.

"C-Claus- the ground!" Lucas was slipping. The Drago was nearing. "Claus!"

_Stomp._

"Status report on the red-haired one." A man dressed in white muttered, leaning over the operating table as he cleaned the excess blood off the blond's forehead, grabbing a new cotton bud and dabbing beneath the closed, right eye. It had to have been taken out. It had to be replaced. Both the blond and the ginger's.

"Breathing appears to be normal." The other answered, placing multiple wires on the ginger's head, attaching them to the machine. He helped the first man hook up the other boy to the machine next to it.

"It appears these two are twins. They must have a family to go back too. Are you sure that we should...?"

"We're saving their lives." The answer was a little harsh and they ended up working in silence after that.

"Are they ready to come online?" He didn't recieve any reply, but he assumed that their new subjects are ready. The new addition to the Pigmask army. Flicking the switch, their eyes opened instantly- red and orange optics flashing before they sat up.

"Welcome to the Pigmask army..."

The twins looked at the scientists with confusion in their organic eye. What was going on? Where were they? Who were...

"Commander Red. Commander Yellow."


	2. Chapter 1

I got the first chapter of Support- that isn't the prologue- written up! I didn't get any review, which is a bit of a pain because I don't know if you guys even _like_ what I'm writing, but I hope you enjoy this one- even if you don't say anything about it. Enjoy!

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Their relationship was a strange one. It was as if they couldn't be able to function without the other near them and that probably wasn't far off from the truth. They were much more closer than any other pair in the entire army which the scientists were amused at. They were chimera, they weren't meant to feel yet they could only feel for each other.

It was sweet in a twisted sense- they could vaguely remember each other and their bond and, therefore, the feelings that were there before they were found by the Pigmasks remained and was probably stronger than ever. No one fully cared about that. If they continued to work and co-operate in their roles as commanders, then it was totally fine. Everyone halad jokingly called them the Twin Commanders.

During the course of the three years they had been working, their bond only seemed to grow and strengthen. If you were to look at them, you'd think that they knew of their old life as two boys with two loving parents- that it was just a game that they had come up with in their imagination. That wasn't the case, however, the Pigmasks always wondered if they remembered only each other.

"Helianthus..?"

"What is it, Annuus?"

Even if you try to change someone through genetics and, in this case, memory- there wre just some things you probably wouldn't be able to erase. Personality was one thing. Bonds, ones as strong as theirs, was another. And the things that they favoured. While the Dining Hall never served up omelettes, only on rare occasions, it didn't mean their taste for it disappeared. It was the same for flowers.

They never liked their names; Yellow and Red. It was much better than Commander One and Commander Two by any means but everyone called them that. It just didn't seem right when it came out of each other's mouths. They knew that they loved Sunflowers- it made them feel... something. Knowing that the scientific name was Helianthus Annuus, and knowing that it (somehow) meant so much to them, they decided that would be their nicknames.

And so, Red became Helianthus and Yellow became Annuus. And it just seemed to work.

"I need some help on this report," The blond chimera sighed, walking over to the other. "How many of the Cowmasks died from cyanide poisoning, again?"

Ah, the Cowmasks; one of the many extremist rebellion groups. What they did was riot around the small streets of Tazmily, breaking many of the things that the army had brought with them; burning bags of money, smashing Happy Boxes in people's homes, and even killing many of the chimera (much to the OTPIAs - Organisation To Protect Innocent Animals[from chimerisation] - dismay. They were constantly at war with each other that many privates and major Pigmasks found it funny.

Their latest stunt was force-feeding some off-duty private vegetables (an ultimate crime), and then swallowed two cyanide pills. The Pigmask private who was victim was in counselling and he would be there for a while.

Helianthus gave a non-comittal grunt, pen scratching over paper as he wrote his own review of the needle that the pair had pulled together over at Osohe castle.

"Thank you. I will assume that is a yes." The blond muttered dryly, continuing with his own report.

There were seven needles scattered all over the Nowhere Islands and, for some reason, only he and Helianthus could pull them with their PSI move. They knew nothing more about that apart from the fact they get stronger with each pull of the needle, that the Earth tremors and quakes beneath their feet, and that some innocent entity dies.

There was a myth surrounding the needles. That the entities, Magypsies, guarded these seven needles in order to keep a dragon asleep until the time calls for it. Depending on who pulled the needle, their heart would be passed on to the dragon but it was only those two.  
No one told them they had a heart; only that they were tools and not much else.

If they were the ones who were pulling the needle, and if they didn't have a heart, then what was happening? Would the dragon be evil? Neutral? Or were they passing on the heart of the Pork King.

It wasn't like finding the needles were easy. The scientists were split into two groups (and a subgroup). Chimera workers (and chimera tamers if anyone was interested) and navigators. The navigators worked hard on the clock to find the needles, and so far, they only found one; the one that laid in the courtyard of Osohe castle, unguarded. The magypsy guarding it didn't really seem to bother with it at all.

"Helianthus, we should take a break." He blond commander sighed, placing his pen down and watching the other intently.

What he got in response was the sound of the others pen scratching out words.  
Annuus let out a disappointed sigh as he grabbed a bit of spare paper that neither chimera planned on using, deciding to use his break time to draw and allowing his mind to wander. He didn't have a particular thought in mind, if anything; his processors were rather blank as he frowned at his paper.

Orange optic and blue eye respectively looked over as he shaded in a few places in the picture- three people. A woman and two boys.

"-ing?"

"What?"

A small sigh. Annuus looked up to meet the slightly curious eyes of the callous commander and he offered the other a small grin that wasn't returned.

"I said; what are you drawing?"

Annuus bit down at the inside of his lip as he looked down at the paper properly and it struck him at just how familiar it all seemed. Almost… like a memory. No, that couldn't be right. He was a machine. Wordlessly, he pushed his artwork over to his twin, feeling himself shake as a wave of… guilt? Despair? Something indescribable but negative washed over him.

In front of the blond, he could hear the ginger swallow hard in response. "Annuus, no. You are supposed to be working not-not drawing these images." He would have ripped it up had it not been Annuus' own creation but, just like the rest, he set it down to the side of the desk and picked up his pen again.

The distressed chimera were silent for a long moment, eager to get their reports done and to stop feeling the way that they did. The atmosphere would have been tense had it not been for the woman in the picture, smiling as she held the children's hand in the middle of a field of sunflowers.

"… The DCMC are playing tonight at Club Titiboo." Helianthus commented, glancing up at Annuus, pen still on paper.

"Are they?"

"We could go if you would like that. The office is a little suffocating, is it not?" He placed the pen down, attention fully on the blond chimera. It just so happened that the DCMC was their favourite band- music continued to be something they really enjoyed.

Annuus could only smile at the other commander and, surprisingly, he had smiled back- and something twinkled in those green eyes, and there was just something in the blond's smile that made the both of them tense. That feeling was back- the tightening in their throats, the feeling of something trying to break free but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

Some hours had passed since then. They had finished their reports and placed them to the side so it could be collected tomorrow and they exited the small office-dorm. Entering the elevator, the now stoic commanders clicked for the second floor- wanting to go to the break room to tell the Pigmasks what to do while they were gone.

There were rules they had specifically for each other; don't show emotions to the other Pigmasks. Helianthus was successful with that as he always had a frown or a scowl on his face, the green eye never giving away any emotion.

Annuus, however...

There was a reason he was called the Gentle Commander, in contrast to his brother who was the Callous Commander. He was polite, he smiled, and rather than order the soldiers - he asked them. Helianthus wasn't very happy about it but he supposed it was okay. The scientists in charge of chimeras and recalibration didn't mind it too much

"Look at what I found!" Jake, a Pigmask on break, grinned as he picked up a VHS tape that read, ' Do not watch, property of-" The name was scribbled out. Many of the Pigmasks squealed in approval before the Navy SQUEAL popped the tape in and plopped himself on the sofa, snatching his snack from someone elses hands.

The Pigmasks watched as the static faded into a picture of the army's close affiliate, Fassad, not wearing much, and a... banana...?

... Oh, God.

"Mmm... I'm going to eat you up..." A masculine voice rang out that seemed to sound slightly girly and somewhat middle eastern.

_Oh, God.._

The pigmasks in the room began to squeal in what could be described as terror, mashing buttons on the remote to try and turn whatever THAT was off but the batteries had run out. It wasn't until the twin commanders opened the door to the room that the remote flew towards the tv, successfully smashing the screen.

There was an awkward silence as no one in the room said anything. There were over the top moans coming from the TV and Helianthus' eye twitched. "What-"

"Please the banana man!" The voice from the TV- Fassad- moaned out and Jake swallowed nervously. No one wanted to know what was happening but everyone had an idea at how loud the moans were.

Annuus couldn't help but crack an amused smile that he hid behind a bitten lip and a failing frown. Helianthus wasn't at all impressed- though he found it just as amusing as his counterpart, if not more. "Gentlemen," He addressed, causing everyone in the room - save from the blond commander- to squeal and salute the two newcomers. "Commander Yellow and I are going to take a break at Club Titiboo. we expect you to-"

"Oh, yeah," The voice from the TV growled. "Come on, Banin, you've got me right on the edge-"

One of the privates choked, trying to keep his unprofessional giggles inside.

Helianthus let out a heavy sigh, continuing over the things that their affiliate was saying. "As I was saying, we expect you to behave as you normally would as if we were here. That means no slacking off, no messing with the chimera, and no fighting. We do not want to come back to this place covered in blood like the last time we went on break."

"Yeah, Banin, please the banana man!"

Annuus bolted out the door as the Pigmasks fell into boisterous laugher. He bit down on his lip harshly to keep from making a sound, small smile threatening to break out on his face hidden by a gloved hand.

It didn't take long for Helianthus to join the blond and soon, they were out the doors and into Murasaki Forest. It didn't take an hour for them to walk past the factory and into the zipline that took them to Club Titiboo, face- while stoic- held an excitement that only they could see.

They walked up to the door...

... Only to be stopped by two men.

"What are you doing here?" The fatter of the duo questioned, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at the commanders expectantly.

"Moron, they're the commanders-"

"Shut it, Skinhead, they're underage and underage smelling people are not allowed here."

"Look at their uniform you dolt!"

Helianthus and Annuus snuck glances at each other before a brief nod was shared. Helianthus stepped forward, glaring at the two men in front of him. "Excuse me but I am Commander Red of the Pigmask army. Behind me is Commander Yellow. We command that you let us in."

"Oh- I'm shaking in my shoes." Neckbeard taunted before rolling his eyes. "Stupid cosplayers, thinking they can get in here by pretending to be someone of importance-"

"Hey, Neckbeard..? I don't think they they're cosplayers.."

After ten minutes of arguing, and a PK Thunder than was blasted their way (that thankfully missed), they stepped inside the reception of the club, bought their drinks, and had the opportunity to sit up front in front of the stage. There was still a lot of time before the concert actually started- eight minutes- so Annuus turned to Helianthus and glared at him.

"You do realise that your PSI was uncalled for, right?" Annuus muttered, unpleased about how the hot-headed commander acted.

"It was not their place to call us cosplayers, Annuus, and you know this." Helianthus argued back, lips pulled into a frown.

"That doesn't make it just, Helianthus. They're weak anyway! You would have killed them." The blond commander reasoned, turning towards the stage with a small frown.

The ginger mimicked his twins actions, running a gloved hand through his hair in a show of exasperation. While he would never change Annuus for the world- and why he never would was a real question to himself- he did wish that the other wasn't so soft. Sometimes. Other times, it was nice to know that he wasn't alone in feeling things.

The lights faded to black and, suddenly, multiple coloured lights ran down on the previously empty stage. During the black out, the members of the DCMC arrived- OJ, Magic, Lucky, Baccio, and Shimmy Zmizz.

Stepping out, OJ beamed at the crowd. "Hello people of the Nowhere Islands!" He raised a hand to silence the loud applause of the audience, who listened with a big smile on their face. "We'd like to kick things off with our newest song written by our very own Lucky- Sunflower Fields!"

All through the performance, the wig-wearing bassist kept an eye on the two unmasked commanders up front. Were they...? No. They couldn't be. It had been three long years-

Flint. He had to tell Flint. Their likeliness to Lucas and Claus.. it couldn't be a coincidence. While there were noticeable metallic parts- their right and left eye respectively- the shapes of their faces and blue and green eyes...

Lucas and Claus were alive.

Heat ran up Lucky's back as he continued to pluck at the strings. He had to call them back to his room. Lie and say it was about an autograph signing. Question them. Just to make sure that it wasn't a mistake.

When the concert was over, and everyone began to leave, Lucky stepped down from the stage and in front of two surprised commanders.

"Good performance," Annuus smiled slightly at Lucky and Helianthus nodded to second that.

"It was indeed a good performance. Good job, Lucky."

Their voices were similar to their younger counterparts. Lucky forced a small smile on his face and nodded. "Excuse me, commanders, but I'd like to do a signing for the both of you."

And, just like that, they found themselves in Lucky's room, ginger and blond sitting on their seats as the musician closed the door and locked it with a gentle click. The warm smile on his face disappeared as he reached up and threw the wig to the floor.

Annuus and Helianthus tensed up noticably- that face... It tugged at them in a way that they just couldn't understand.

"Commander Red and Commander Yellow." Lucky addressed, already finding it difficult. "It's me, Duster- remember?"

.. Duster..

Duster swallowed before shaking his head. "Your names aren't Red and Yellow, you know."

They watched the other man with fear. What was he doing, why was he-

"Your names are Lucas and Claus and you lived in Tazmily with Hinawa and-"

"Shut up!" Helianthus snarled, standing up and letting the chair hit the floor. Annuus rested a shaking hand on his shoulder in an attempt to keep him calm, to make sure he didn't attack the band member. "You're lying. We have never heard of.. of-of.." He shivered, eyes closing briefly as he grit out, "Lucas and Claus."

Annuus carried on, stepping forward- his optic focused on the liar before he shouted- so unlike imself- "That's right! We have never heard of Lucas or Claus or Hinawa or Flint or Boney or.. o-or..."

Helianthus and Annuus stared at each other and jumped back. When did they start crying? Helianthus gripped onto his own jacket, where his heart would be- where it was. Annuus ran a hand through his hair, gripping at blond strands with grit teeth.

"Dus-Duster...?" Annuus muttered, closing his eyes tight and letting his body shake.

"Yes, it's me, Lucas." Duster took a step forward before he found himself on the ground on his knees. Helianthus drew back his sword, breathing heavily and glaring at the other man.

"No.. you're lying.. T-trying to plot against King P- trying to get us on your side. Planting false ideas in our heads.." He let out a harsh laugh that shook on the end. "That's low, even for you."

Annuus made a small noise of agreement, stepping closer to his twin before they began to walk off. Duster watched after them, held his breath, and waited a few moments before standing up and setting off. He didn't tell any of the band members where he was going, nor was he sure if he was even going to come back. He had to find Flint.

Back in Tazmily, Flint sat in his home- the only place that wasn't touched by technology- and sighed. It was difficult living alone, especially when there was once two young boys running around and laughing and a wife giggling along with them as she set out food.

He missed the embrace of Hinawa. Missed how she smelled of flowers. Missed how she sounded. He also missed his two children- how one of them was a complete devil and the other was an angel. He cracked a broken smile as he remembered overhearing the two boys talk about their parents.

How Flint was the coolest dad they could hope for- how no one's cooking could beat Hinawa..

And he cried again, hiding his eyes with a hat and taking in heavy breaths, determined not to make a sound. He could still hear his perfect family if he tried. It was hard and the hallucination never lasted long.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Flint stood up from his chair quickly, tilting his hat back and making a half-run to the door. When he saw Duster, he offered the other a small smile and a small, "Hello," Before standing to the side and letting him in.

Sitting on the chairs, Duster watched the pained farmer with a careful gaze, unsure of how to break it to him. He swallowed, blinked, and looked at the floor.

"So, Duster, what do you want?" Flint asked, watching him curiously. It was rare for his big-nosed friend to visit- to occupied with the DCMC to come back to Tazmily. When Duster did visit, of course, the town welcomed him back with big arms- or at least they did before everyone separated into their own little groups.

"Flint.." Duster began, uncertainty lacing his voice. He watched as he older man leaned forward on his chair, watching him expectantly. He closed his eyes, swallowed thickly, and-

"Lucas and Claus are alive."

Flint was quiet for a moment, knowing that there was more to this.

"But they can't.. they can't remember anything.."

Flint took in a sharp breath, looked at the wooden ground, and tilted his hat to cover his eyes.


End file.
